Starwood Preferred Guest and the Chicago Cubs ‘Play Ball’ with Exclusive SPG Cubs Moments for the Second Consecutive Year

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®), the award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), enters its second year in partnership with the Chicago Cubs, bringing VIP experiences and offers throughout the 2014 Cubs season. SPG also joins the Cubs in celebration of the 100th birthday of Wrigley Field, the team’s iconic ballpark.

“Just like Chicago fans love their Cubs, SPG has created deep bonds with our members. We earn their dedication by listening to them and delivering great benefits that give them unparalleled access to once-in-a-lifetime experiences like those we’re offering with the Cubs,” said Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing. “Thanks to our partnership with the Chicago Cubs, not only do we get to give our members the opportunity to watch the game from the luxury suite or throw the first pitch through our SPG Cubs Moments, this year we also join the team to celebrate Wrigley Field’s 100th birthday.”

The SPG Cubs Moments available during the 2014 spring training and regular season allow members to make their baseball dreams come true as well as those of their friends and family members. Starting today, SPG will make the following Cubs Moments available:
• Premiere VIP seats in the SPG Luxury Suite behind home plate

• Opportunity to interact with Cubs players and management while serving as “Honorary Team Manager for a Day” or while taking the field with players before the game

• Stepping to the pitcher’s mound and throwing a game’s ceremonial first pitch
• Announcing “play ball” to officially start the game
For a full list of spring training and regular season SPG Cubs Moments offered this season, visit www.spg.com/cubs.
“Through Starwood and the SPG Cubs Moments loyalty program, we’ve been able to further connect with our passionate fan base and provide some truly amazing opportunities to engage with Cubs players and our brand,” said Colin Faulkner, Vice President, Sales and Partnerships, Chicago Cubs. “We’re pleased SPG is a special part of a historic season for our players, staff and fans as we celebrate the 100th birthday of iconic Wrigley Field.”
All Cubs fans have the opportunity to experience unique SPG Cubs Moments when they redeem their Starpoints®, points earned for stays at all Starwood hotels, as SPG members. Visit spg.com/moments for more information on membership and SPG Moments.

As the exclusive hotel and resort partner of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs Spring Training, Cubs Destinations and Cubs Charities, Cubs fans can book Starwood hotels for Cubs home and road games at cubs.com or spg.com. The Starpoints® earned for stays can then be transformed into unique Cubs experiences through SPG Moments.

About Starwood Preferred Guest
Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) is an innovative, award-winning frequent traveler program that unites each of Starwood’s 9 distinctive hotel brands and includes more luxury hotels in more destinations around the world. SPG reinvented the hospitality loyalty landscape when it launched in 1999 with its breakthrough policy of no blackout dates, and over the years has continued its tradition of innovation with enhancements such as Cash + Points, and most recently Your24TM and SPG LifetimeTM. In addition to Free Night Awards at over 1,100 hotels and resorts and Award Flights on over 350 major airlines without blackout dates, the Starpoints® that members earn through SPG can be redeemed for access like to no other to experiences in music, sports and the arts through SPG Moments. SPG also has an ongoing commitment to digital innovation to meet the needs of today’s connected global traveler – from the SPG app for iPhone that utilizes state-aware technology to create a more personalized hotel stay to Starwood’s Best Rate Guarantee on spg.com, to SPG’s integration within various social media platforms. Offerings such as these have helped SPG build a passionate member base among the world’s most frequent travelers. Learn more at spg.com and spg.com/moments and connect with us on facebook.com/spg, twitter.com/spg, foursquare.com/spg, pinterest.com/spglife, and youtube.com/spg.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with nearly 1,200 properties in 100 countries, and 181,400 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.